What I hear most when it comes to people not being able to achieve their goals or focus on themselves is that they don’t have the time.

Let me tell you, it’s not about having the time, it’s about creating the time.

I know this from experience.

I used to be the person who “didn’t have the time.” But then I reevaluated the situation, took a step back, and realized I did have the time, it was just how I was managing my time. I wasn’t being productive, I wasn’t being organized, and in turn, I didn’t have the time to spend on the things I wanted to be occupying my time with.

That’s when I started the work. In order to make the time, you have to put in the time. It’s not something that will change over night. You will need to put in the work in order to see the results.

Throughout my journey with time management, I have had a lot of moments of trial and error. Because I want YOU to be able to make the most of your time, I have put together my Top 3 Tips for Time Management for you to test out in your own life!

One thing to keep in mind with time management -- what works for one person, may not work for another. So take these tips and try them, but know it may not be the best way for you, personally, to manage your time. Mess around with the tools I give you, and see what can happen! One thing I do want you to keep in mind is, things will not change over night. So do not try these tools only one time and think, “Oh, that didn’t work for me! Time to move on! Time management isn’t for me!” Again, put in the time to make the time!

Without further ado, here are my Top 3 Tips!

1. Prioritize

Set aside five minutes to sit down and brain dump EVERYTHING that you need to get done. And when I say everything, I mean everything! Even if you need to quickly grab the laundry out of the dryer, write it down. The importance here is to get everything written out so you can actually SEE what it is you need to get done.

Once you’ve brain dumped it all, look back over your list and with a highlighter, different colored pen, etc, go back through and mark the Top 5 things that NEED to be done that day. If there’s more than five that need to be done, still stick to ONLY five. This will allow you to prioritize and get done what is MOST important! If you manage your time in this way, you are bound to have the time in your day to go back to your list and schedule in those other tasks needing to be done!

2. Time Block

After you have determined your Top 5 Priorities, look at the time you have available to work with. For example, if it’s an evening after work perhaps you have free time from 7:00-9:00. If it’s a Saturday morning maybe you have time from 9:30-11:00 before you meet your friends for Brunch. Whatever day, whether AM or PM write out the free time you will have.

Next, look over your Top 5 Priorities. Schedule these in to the time that you have. Say for example my Top 5 Priorities were : clean living room, move laundry to dryer, write a blog post, take the dog for a walk, journal. It’s a Saturday morning and I have a couple hours free before meeting a friend for lunch, my time block may look like the following:

9:30-9:45am Move Laundry over to Dryer

9:45-10:00am Journal

10:00-10:30am Write Blog Post

10:30-11:00am Clean Living Room

11:30-1:30pm Lunch

2:00-3:00pm Walk the Dog

Notice how I was able to fit in my Top 5 Priorities, all before evening hit. My example is just that, an example. By no means will yours look exactly like this. It will depend on the tasks, how long they take, and the time that you are allotted in your day. Make it your own, but make sure it’s realistic!

3. Track your Time

My absolute favorite way to track my time is by having access to it, ALWAYS. What better way than having it on your wrist, right?! I’ve even noticed that on days where I forget to put on a watch, I find myself turning my wrist to check the time. Anyone else with me there?! My absolute FAVORITE Time Piece to wear is my watch from JORD. Not only is it easy access to the time, but it is absolutely gorgeous! (And I’m able to change the band given my outfit, win win!) By constantly having this Unique Time Piece on my wrist I am able to track my time, all the time! And what better way to manage it?!